We’ve seen it and heard it a thousand times in sports. You’ve got some coach at a podium in front of the media before a big game, and he’s working on shaping the narrative of who’s the favourite. It was the same thing before the Leafs-Bruins round one matchup, where Mike Babcock made the black and white statement: “Well, y’know, they got more points than us, so, we’re the underdog.” Basically implying “This isn’t up for debate.”

It’s a time-honoured tradition, this battle for the underdog label.

It does come with its obvious perks. For one, if you succeed, everyone looks a little better at their job for overcoming a perceived bigger hurdle. If you lose, well look, you were supposed to, we were the underdogs. But also, knowing those things as a player is mentally freeing. You have little to lose in the court of public opinion, so there’s less reason to be nervous, so hell buddy, you might as well take your hardest cut and...